Resistance to Interrogation
by Shelamnia
Summary: They want his name. They want any of K-Unit's names, actually. But this time they take it too far.
1. Chapter 1

_Alex is training with the SAS. Probably before his missions, but it's a bit of another universe.  
><em>

Rough, uncaring hands jostled Alex from his dreamless sleep. Alex looked up and saw a masked face in the dark, with cold, angry, beady eyes, gazing at him. Hands were on his shoulders, yanking him from the barely warm bed. As the much larger man pulled him outside, Alex noted that Wolf, Eagle, Snake, and Fox were all abducted before him - their beds were empty. But before Alex could examine the scene too closely, a bag was thrown over his head.

Two of his captors half-dragged, half-carried Alex out into the night, one on each side. He lost all sense of direction, but he knew they had gone some distance. Suddenly, the ground changed from dirt to concrete, and Alex would have fallen if not for the brutes holding him up.

Then he did. Rather, they threw him into a chair. He didn't have a chance to resist before he was thoroughly tied to the chair.

The bag was ripped off his head. Alex blinked, letting his eyes adjust to the concrete room's bright gray walls, lit by a naked lightbulb from the ceiling. It hurt Alex's eyes.

"What's your name?"

Alex jumped at the question. He looked over at the man who asked. His captors were wearing baseball caps with no identifying features, except that the shadow hid their features perfectly. Alex was confused and scared. Who were these men?

"I said, what's your name?"

Alex looked at the man who had spoken and decided to name him Shorty. He was only a few inches taller than Alex.

"Cub," Alex replied quietly.

Suddenly, Alex was no longer looking at the men. He was looking at a metal bathtub over his right shoulder. A split second after Alex noticed the buckets of ice by the tub, he registered the throbbing in his cheek.

He'd somehow missed the punch.

Shorty spoke again. "Your real name. What's your real name?"

For a long moment, Alex didn't answer, instead choosing to grimace showing how much the hit had hurt. Blood seeped into his tastebuds, coppery, tangy, but somehow flavourful. It reminded him of the time when he'd-

_Smack_. Alex blinked. Shorty'd hit his other cheek. For a moment, Alex's vision blurred.

But then Shorty's posture changed as Alex faced front again. "You want a go?" Shorty asked another one of the captors.

One of the imposing soldiers nodded. Alex promptly named him Broad. The man's shoulders and hips were as wide as the Earth and his limbs as thick as a river. At least, that was Alex's impression. In comparison, Shorty looked like he wouldn't do half as much damage.

"Something to think about, kid, when you're waiting," Broad muttered in a richer, deeper tone that was somehow more slimy than Shorty's. Alex wondered if these men had a personal grudge against him. Nevertheless, he swallowed and watched as Broad approached him. Alex saw the blow coming - a sucker-punch to the gut - but he was helpless, save for tensing to avoid internal injury.

With a _whoosh_, all the air in his lungs rushed out. It felt like he'd just been nailed by a truck. Then the chair tipped back and he landed painfully on his wrists. For a long moment, Alex lay there, gasping, trying to breathe through the pain. He closed his eyes.

A different voice Alex didn't recognise informed him quickly: "If you want us to stop, just tell us your real name. Got that, brat?"

Alex didn't respond immediately, trying to figure out what on Earth was happening. Four strangers had him tied to a chair, vulnerable. They wanted to know his name. But Alex had been told not to tell anyone who he was. Alex opened his eyes and jumped as much as the binding would let him. Shorty was in his face, their noses barely a centimeter apart.

"He asked if you got that, _Cub_." Alex nodded hurriedly. With a jolt, Alex realised Shorty had every intention of hurting him to get information. The man's eyes were as cold as liquid nitrogen, and his hatred for Alex spewed forth like laser beams meant to dice up Alex's will.

Shorty snorted. "Put him with the others."

Alex swallowed, almost certain that his face displayed the fear he was feeling. Broad walked around and looked down. From Alex's perspective, he was upside down. Then he grabbed the back of Alex's chair and proceeded to drag him out a door that had been behind Alex.

With his hands tied to each other behind the chair and his ankles bound to the legs, Alex didn't resist at all. He couldn't. But Alex saw.

The training camp was completely overrun by vehicles Alex had never seen there before. Men with caps on wandered about, some dragging people in their nightclothes, like Alex was. Alex shivered. The camp had been taken over.

Then the chair stopped, and the other three men watched as Broad untied Alex. Alex didn't bother trying to resist. He'd never overpower all four of the men.

"Stand up," Shorty commanded. Alex complied. He heard the chair behind him being moved, then picked up. A creak also indicated something was being open. Alex didn't even have time to throw up a block before Shorty brutally kicked him in the stomach were Broad had nailed him, throwing him backward into another room. Luckily, the floor was a dirt one, but a fire seemed to have started in Alex's abdomen. Unconsciously, Alex curled up into the fetal position.

"Ha!" Broad chuckled mirthlessly. "We'll crack you, kid. We will."

Alex wasn't paying attention to them, but they attacked him one more time. The chair they had brought was roughly thrown at him. The seat dug into his thigh before bouncing off; the back of the chair, his shoulder.

Alex let out a very shaky breath, choosing to breathe carefully. Each breath illuminated the embers in his diaphragm. He opened his eyes and saw he wasn't alone.

Wolf and Eagle were sitting on benches on the side of the room, both watching him with no expression. Alex turned his head to look behind him. Snake and Fox were sitting opposite, also watching him stoically. Interestingly enough, Alex noted, none of them appeared to be injured. No one spoke, either.

After a long minute, Alex recovered a bit. He uncurled slowly, very aware of the pain in his face, the burn in his gut, and the stares of the four men around him. Then he stood, wrapping one arm around his waist and forcing himself to breathe despite how much it hurt. With the speed of an aged man fading into wisps of decayed elderly, Alex righted the chair, pulled it against the wall opposite the door and between the benches his unit sat on, and sat down on it. Only then did he speak.

"What's going on?"

K-Unit looked at one another, seemingly deciding and debating with their eyes alone.

Frustrated, Alex barked, "Tell me what's happening!"

Snake replied quietly, "RTI - resistance to interrogation."

"The Green Jackets hate us because they're second-best," Fox muttered, "and we're the best."

Alex looked at Fox again, incredulous. Soldiers hurting soldiers. Absurd. Then Alex noticed Fox's appearance more closely. The man wasn't injured, but he was drenched. Alex remembered the tub and ice. "But they can't endanger our health."

"Accidents happen," Eagle answered. "Oh, they do."

Wolf glared at Alex, appearing to decide that Alex was recovered enough to endure more bullying. "And if you dare slip anything, Double-Oh-Nothing, we all get binned. We do this as a unit."

Alex nodded a little bit. Ignoring societal customs, he put his feet on the chair and curled up, covering his throbbing stomach with one hand and looping his other arm around his knees. He delicately rested his forehead against his bare knees, ignoring his cheeks. He was only wearing a T-shirt and boxers, like the other men.

Alex remembered watching a movie with Ian once. The good guy had been captured, and Ian had snorted when the man stayed up all night to see if he could get out. When Jack had raised an eyebrow, Ian explained, "He could have rested and been more alert the next time they came. Plus, it's boring. Why would you ever stay awake? And the stress you'd bring on yourself couldn't be good for your health." At Alex and Jack's blank stares, Ian added, "Of course, I'm just speculating."

Now it made more sense. Ian would have known what it'd be like to be captured, what to do. Alex decided to follow his advice. After a long while, Alex managed to fall asleep.

* * *

><p>Wolf raised an eyebrow as Cub nodded off to sleep. "The hell?"<p>

"He's stronger than he looks," Snake sort-of answered in a whisper, unlike Wolf. The man was extremely nervous, though his facial tension showed he didn't want to let it out. RTI definitely was not his favorite exercise.

Wolf snorted, covering up his anxiety. "He's a snot-nosed brat. We'll be binned because of him, you'll see."

Little did Wolf know how close he was to the truth.

Fox shivered. Wolf couldn't tell if it was because of the thought of being binned or because he'd been doused with ice water. "I think he's got the right idea, though."

Wolf snorted again. Maybe his codename should have been 'Pig'. "I'll take the first watch. I'll wake you if anyone comes." The others nodded and shifted to more comfortable sitting positions. Unlike Cub, they didn't curl into a ball. Wolf smirked as Snake slipped onto Fox's shoulder as he fell asleep. Fox awoke quickly, glanced over, rolled his eyes, and went back to sleep. Wolf noted that he'd very carefully not looked in Wolf's direction.

Sighing, Wolf stared at the door, awaiting their captors' return.

* * *

><p>"They're back," a voice interrupted Alex's dreamless nap. Dazed, Alex looked up. It had been Fox who had spoken.<p>

Apparently, Alex had slept through the other soldiers' interrogations and wake-up calls. Wolf had clearly gone - he now sported a split lip, bruises on his arms, and water all over his nightclothes. Eagle, who sat beside him, had an arm loosely wrapped around his waist. Snake had a superficial cut bleeding sluggishly on one cheek, and Fox had curled up like Alex.

A lock outside the door clicked as it was opened. The door opened slowly. Alex wished he were home with Jack. Shorty stepped inside.

"Well, well, well." A nasty smile appeared below the cap's shadow. "Look who's finally awake."

Alex looked around. Everyone was alert. Then Alex realised that he'd not only slept through the other men's departures and arrivals, but that Shorty was looking directly at him.

Oh, dear.

"Why don't you stand up, _Cub_?" Shorty sneered. It wasn't a question. But Alex answered anyway.

"I'd much rather stay here, thank you." The fake smile dropped off Shorty's face.

"Then, what's your name?"

For a long moment, no one moved as Shorty and Alex stared at each other like the rest of the world was absent. Then Alex broke the eye contact and stood resignedly. At least his cheeks and stomach were a tad less sore after his nap. He had no idea how long he'd slept.

Shorty tipped his head back slightly so that he could look down at Alex over his nose. He folded his arms. "No, not just you. You're a kid. Let's see how the others react to you."

A man from before who Alex hadn't named stepped in. "Wolf-man, right? I thought you might be a good candidate." Alex could easily see that Wolf's injuries had come from this soldier. At least, Wolf's glare seemed to shout so. "Kiss him."

Alex blinked slowly, not sure if he'd heard correctly. Wolf shared his incredulous sentiment, exclaiming "_What_?"

The unnamed man sighed. "Do you _want_ me to have another go at you? I can promise it'll be even worse."

Shorty grinned maliciously. "It's not hard, Wolf-y. But make sure it's a good one - long, and _deep_." Alex swallowed at the emphasis the man put on the last word. Was he about to lose his first kiss to a man who loathed him?

Wolf let out a huff of indignant laughter. "You're not serious."

"Oh, but we are," the still unnamed man replied. Alex decided to name him Wolf-hater. It suited his attitude. "You've got ten seconds, or we'll take you both."

"No," Wolf answered. "No, I won't do it."

"Ten," Shorty began, stepping around Wolf and walking towards Alex. "Nine. Eight." The soldier stood in front of Alex, but off to one side so that Wolf and Alex could see each other clearly. "Seven." Grinning at Alex, he pulled out a strange looking device. It had two prongs on one end and was a half-foot long.

A stun gun. Alex's eyes widened.

"Six."

Wolf broke in, "You're not going to..."

"Five."

"...shock him, are you?"

"Four." Wolf was staring at the stun gun. On "Three," he looked at Alex. Alex could easily see he wasn't getting a kiss, but the alternative seemed worse to him.

"Two." Shorty moved to get closer to Alex, brandishing the weapon.

"One." Shorty reached out to shock Alex, but he wasn't prepared for Alex to try to defend himself. Using a well-practiced move, Alex ducked away from the now-glowing end of the stun gun and twisted around, grabbing Shorty's arm. He'd learned how to throw people much larger than himself from the SAS training, and now he was using it.

Shorty's feet smashed into the wall as he crashed down to the ground. He cried out, too, much to Alex's satisfaction. But before Alex could do anything further, Wolf-hater seized his upper arms and wrenched him outside. Alex peered into the room. To Alex's surprise, no one from K-Unit moved to stop Shorty from getting up. Wolf didn't even retaliate as Shorty pushed him aside and stood in the doorway, facing Alex.

"You little shit!" he shouted in Alex's face. He pressed the stun gun into the side of Alex's head - directly behind his ear - but didn't activate it. "You're going to _pay_," he hissed.

Suddenly, Alex hurt. He _really_ hurt. He heard someone yelling and was dimly aware it was himself. He couldn't control his muscles at all after a moment and relied completely upon Wolf-hater's support as he tensed and twitched violently. His balance evaporated - an effect of the strategic placing of the metallic prongs. The yelling stopped as Alex ran out of air. He couldn't breathe. He didn't know which way was up or down.

Without warning, it stopped. Alex went completely limp, letting his eyes close while he took shallow, uneven breaths. He was still trembling from the shock's after-effects. Wolf-hater supported his weight entirely.

"That's enough." The words were garbled to Alex. He wasn't entirely sure who had spoken.

"You care about the child."

"I don't, but you could stop his heart if you shock him for too long." Alex's ears were ringing, but he thought it might be Wolf speaking. Or maybe Eagle. He couldn't muster up the strength to look at the speakers, let alone raise his head.

"Well, well. Why don't you join the party? I'm sure there's room enough."

Alex hit the ground, hard. Wolf-hater had dropped him. Alex was still twitching.

"You carry him. Let's go."

Alex still didn't know who was speaking. It was all muffled, but the ringing in his ears had quieted somewhat.

He didn't resist at all as two muscular arms slid under his knees and shoulder. He'd landed on his side, and the carrier gently pushed him onto his back before hefting him up, bridal-style. Alex let his head loll back, still unable to move independently. Then his carrier lifted his back higher, causing Alex's head to roll forward, hitting the carrier's neck. The man curled his arm around Alex and felt for his pulse. His hands were cold. Alex could have sworn the person was walking more carefully, so as to not jostle Alex.

Must be someone from K-Unit.

"You awake, Cub?" the person whispered.

"Hn," Alex hummed. He didn't feel like being articulate. The world was still spinning. Above him, his carrier cursed quietly. It probably would have been better if Alex were out.

They walked to the interrogation room. It was still dark outside.

By the time they'd reached it, Alex had stopped twitching, but he still didn't move. It felt like his energy had drained out of him, and his equilibrium was still spinning in circles like a compass beside a playful child's magnet.

Someone yanked Alex out of his gentler carrier's arms and dropped him into the tub he'd seen before. This time, it was full of ice water.

Alex sat up, sputtering, but he tipped over almost instantly. Everything was blurred and unfocused when he opened his eyes, and indistinct figures were standing around him. He managed to avoid going underwater again by hanging an arm over the side of the tub. His body was shivering.

"Tie them down." Alex heard rustling, but he couldn't focus his eyes long enough to see quite what was happening the other other members of K-Unit.

After the noise quieted down, a cruel voice spoke. It seemed like the world was stacking the cards against Alex. "Let's give _Cub_ a bath."

Alex was flipped over to face downwards. His head was shoved under the water and held there.

Vainly, Alex struggled. But it was no use. He couldn't hear or see, and his limbs were uncoordinated. The tub impeding his attempts at hitting his captors, anyway.

It wasn't long at all before Alex lost consciousness. It slipped away like a rider into the night.

* * *

><p>AN: You MUST read the missing chapter from Stormbreaker if you liked this. (It's a bit less... torturous? Can't quite find the word.)<p>

This is a three-part fic. It's completely written, though I still have to edit a bit. Nothing's changing, plot-wise.

Just out of curiosity, who do you think spoke up for Alex? (**ヒント**がある!)


	2. Chapter 2

Fox watched in something close to horror as the short man shocked Cub. He seemed to take a sadistic glee in it. Cub, for his part, was crying out desperately. Fox slowly counted the seconds that the man shocked Cub.

When he got to forty, he thought it was going too far. Cub stopped yelling around ten. Fox wasn't even sure if he was breathing.

Fox grabbed the short man's arm and pulled him into the cell, away from Cub. "That's enough," he stated solemnly. The soldier turned to face him.

"You care about the child," the short man stated, incredulously.

That was a bad mistake. The RTI lecturer had warned against displaying compassion for companions. Cruel torturers might force you to watch them scream.

"I don't, but you could stop his heart if you shock him for too long." It was a bluff. Fox had no idea if a stun gun could actually do that.

The short man sneered evilly at him. He must really hate the SAS. Fox swallowed. The short man was the one who doused him with icy water and socked him in the gut. Now he grinned maniacally at Fox, as a cat would a mouse.

"Well, well. Why don't you join the party?" the man asked snidely. "I'm sure there's room enough."

He nodded at the man holding Cub. He dropped him. Then the short man turned to Fox again. "You carry him. Let's go."

The short man grabbed Wolf's arm and dragged him out. Wolf didn't resist. They stepped over Cub.

Fox knelt down by the boy. The others - Wolf and the four Green Jackets - were waiting for him. He gently rolled Cub onto his back and picked him up. As the others faced forward, he checked Cub's pulse. It was steady, but too fast and a touch weaker than Fox would have liked. The boy himself, however, was trembling.

"You awake, Cub?" he asked. He got a hum in reply. Fox cursed quietly. If Cub was unconscious, he'd miss out on whatever creative plans the Green Jackets had.

Fox looked up at the sky, suddenly very appreciative of its open expanses. Free, twinkling, merry...

Painless...

He pulled his head out of the clouds and stepped into the room where he'd been drenched and beaten. He never wanted to return to it.

The stun-gun-happy short man sneered at him hatefully. He yanked Cub from his arms, then trotted over to the tub - filled with water and ice, Fox noted - and dropped him into it. As expected, Cub startled and sat up partway, but he seemed too out-of-it to actually get out of the tub.

"Tie them down," the short man ordered. The thickest man dragged Fox over to a chair and tied his wrists and ankles. One of the men seemed to hold something against Wolf; he twisted Wolf's arm as he sat him down and bound him. Wolf exhaled roughly but didn't comment.

The short man smiled his widest yet. "Let give _Cub_ a bath." He reached over and turned the boy over. Then he pushed him under the water.

"I'll let him breathe if you say your names," he teased. Cub, for his part, flailed about wildly. It was obvious that he was still disoriented. He was splashing water at the short man, but the drier of the two didn't seem to care at all.

Fox glanced at Wolf. Wolf was staring expressionlessly over the interrogator's head. Fox schooled his features to match Wolf's.

Cub looked so helpless, like a small rodent trapped by the tail. Fox continued to stare over the short man's head. He glanced once more at Wolf, only to see that he'd closed his eyes. The man drowning Cub watched both of them with glee, while his companions stood around him, watching, but out of splash zone.

Then Cub stopped moving.

Fox started counting again, but he very carefully didn't change his expression. He couldn't show weakness.

This was an exercise. They couldn't drown Cub. They were safe from death.

Cub had attacked the short man, who was now getting revenge. And he didn't seem to be releasing him anytime soon.

Then he remembered Eagle's words. "_Accidents happen_."

"My name is..." Fox began. He wasn't sure this was what he wanted. Wolf's eyes snapped open and he fired a death glare at Fox. But Fox had been counting. It'd been a full minute and a half since Cub had been dunked - that left him at most three minutes before he would stop breathing forever.

Wolf interrupted. "RTI, Fox. Shut up."

"He's _drowning him_, Wolf!"

"What's your name, Foxy boy?" the short man sneered. "You seem to understand what's going on."

Fox swallowed. "My name is Jonathan Charlton," he muttered nearly inaudibly, defeated to his very core. He couldn't watch a child drown. But he couldn't tell them his real name, either.

The short man laughed. "I can't he-e-e-ear you!" he sang mockingly.

"My - name - is - Jonathan - Charlton !" Fox shouted clearly.

Finally - _finally_ - the short man pulled the boy out of the ice water. Still, Cub didn't move. Uncaringly, the malicious soul threw Cub over his shoulder and stood.

"Let's return them to their cell and let Sarge deal with them." His voice's tone showed he knew he had won. Smug. He'd gotten Fox's name.

"Wait," the fourth man said calmly. He hadn't taken any action against any of them yet. He hadn't ordered any of the others around. But now Fox somehow knew this man was in charge. "I think he's lying."

Fox stared at him incredulously. "I'm not."

The fourth man got in Fox's face. Inhaling slightly, Fox surmised that this man had forgotten to brush his teeth last night. "Oh really?" he asked. "Let's have you say that one more time. What's your name?"

"My name is Jonathan Charlton." He was defiant. He could see Wolf staring at him in shock. Of course, Wolf hated the kid. But Fox wouldn't watch him drown.

"Jonathan Charlton ," the leader repeated. "Jonathan Charlton ... Do you really want us to drown the brat?"

Fox swallowed. "My name is Jonathan Charlton ."

"I don't think so," the leader whispered cruelly.

Fox pressed his eyes shut. Cub might have only a minute left. He had to do something. His lie had failed. So for one moment, Fox pretended he really was named Brandon Danielson, that he never had heard of a "Benjamin Daniels": his real name. The names were so close, it was easy for Fox to alter his mentality for a moment. "Brandon Danielson," he murmured. "Brandon Danielson."

"Then, _Brandon_, let's see those pretty eyes of yours."

Fox glared at him. "My name is _Brandon Danielson_."

The man showed his emotions for the first time that night. He grinned. "We got you."

They didn't need orders after that. The three henchmen dragged the men still tied to their chairs back to the cell - or in Cub's case, carried. They were pushed inside - Cub, thrown - and locked in.

Wolf immediately turned to Fox. "Fox, you lousy fucking bast-"

"Snake, check on Cub," Fox interrupted, deadly serious. Snake's head snapped up in surprise. He had bowed it when Wolf started; Wolf getting angry at Fox could only mean one thing: Fox had blabbed. But now Fox was calling the shots.

Snake dropped to Cub's side and pushed him onto his back. He immediately noticed the blue lips and extremely pale complexion. Even Wolf had stopped berating Fox for a minute, watching him. Eagle stood and moved to untie the sitting pair.

Snake leaned over Cub's mouth, listening, looking, and feeling for breath. His eyes widened.

Nothing.

As he felt for a pulse, Snake began giving breaths to the boy, pressing his lips firmly against Cub's. Something Wolf wouldn't do before.

There. A heartbeat. And another. But spaced too far apart. The next was off-beat. Snake needed Cub to breathe. A third breath...

"Snake?" Wolf asked uncertainly. Eagle tugged at the binding knots, and at last they fell away. Wolf moved to crouch on the opposite side of Cub, who lay still as a corpse. Fox knelt by his head; Eagle, his feet. "He's not-"

Suddenly, Cub began coughing and shivering. Snake jerked back and spat out the water Cub had pushed into his mouth. Fox took over quickly, rolling Cub onto his side to avoid him choking further with Eagle's help. Very gently, Fox held Cub's head tilted back. More gently still, Fox spoke complete nonsense to Cub - something about their bunks and food, families and unit-mates - in a calm, assured voice, but Cub didn't stir besides shaking.

Snake turned back to Cub and watched as Cub coughed and coughed, choking on water. "Wolf," he hissed like his namesake, "call for help. He needs medical attention."

Wolf obeyed without question, despite being the leader. He'd already misjudged the situation. "Help!" he cried to the door, pounding it as if it was the short interrogator. "Get help!" His deep voice was frantic.

Snake silenced Fox and started asking questions. Cub was stirring, at last.

* * *

><p>The first thing Alex was immediately aware of was the pain in his throat and his coughing that he just couldn't stop and the seemingly endless torrents of water leaving his respiratory system. Then the hands holding his head and another holding his side. Eventually, he registered how cold he felt while shivering uncontrollably.<p>

Finally, he heard a Scottish voice by his ear, while a strangely accented one shouted in the distance.

"Cub? Can you hear me? Can you open your eyes?"

Alex opened his eyes and looked into Snake's blue ones, his wet coughs subsiding into damp wheezing. The ground was right next to him, but Alex knew that he wouldn't have known he was lying down without seeing it: he still couldn't tell which way was up. Suddenly, it was moving out of sight, and Alex was looking up at Snake.

For his part, Snake looked intently into his eyes and spoke to someone behind him. "His pupils are dilated. He's hypothermic, probably entering shock." Then he looked seriously back at Alex. "Can you tell me where we are?"

Alex nodded. "Hell," he squeaked.

But his voice was so thick and wheezy that Fox misunderstood. "He thinks we're on a hill."

Snake frowned, looking into Alex's eyes again. "That means he's-"

"No, _Hell_," he wheezed again.

Snake brightened and smirked, but it was overshadowed by worry. "And what is the formal name for this Hell?"

"Beacon Brecons."

"For what?"

"SAS Training."

"Who am I?"

"A curious arse." Snake stared patronizingly at him, and Alex relented. "Snake."

Snake grinned. "He'll be all right. We need to keep him warm, though - out of shock. Eagle and I are the warmest. We don't know when Wolf will be heard." Eagle nodded and lay on the ground. Fox and Snaked carefully lifted Alex up and Eagle scooted underneath.

The warmth was immediate, like a fire underneath, yet Alex felt very awkward as he continued shivering while lying on top of Eagle. It was like he was some kind of rock band instrument: always vibrating. Eagle's He felt warm hands - Eagle's - slide into his armpits despite his protests. "H-hey!"

"Cub," Eagle murmured into his ear, "calm down."

Alex was about to respond, but it turned into a yelp when Snake put his hands _down there_. Alex also saw that he'd taken his shirt off. For a moment, Alex was horrified.

The dry, warm shirt reappeared in Fox's hands, which were holding it firmly around Alex's head and neck. But it wasn't enough distraction to keep Alex from resisting Snake.

"Get - your - _bloody hands off me_!" he tried to shout while pulling at the soldier's hands. Eagle and Fox held him in a supine position, allowing no escape. Alex couldn't feel his legs or move them very well, either. His words came out breathy and weak, but it successfully conveyed his fury and humiliation.

Snake very calmly replied, "For hypothermia, especially a moderate case like yours, it's important to insulate the head and neck and warm the armpits and groin."

Even so, Alex struggled adamantly until he was exhausted. It only took a moment. Panting, he was oddly grateful for his condition. He couldn't blush properly. Tired, he let his head fall back onto Eagle's chest; he was short enough that when his and Eagle's feet aligned, he could do that. But he still clung to Snake's wrists.

"Fox, his pulse and breathing," Snake muttered. Dutifully, Fox took it. Alex felt the cloth on his neck shift, and then a lukewarm hand probed his neck.

"Fast, but fairly steady and strong." He leaned over Alex's face. Alex closed his eyes. "Breath is fast and uneven, but deep enough."

"Pupils?" Snake inquired.

Alex tried unsuccessfully to turn his head and keep his eyes shut petulantly. He didn't really want to be there. Fox had his hands on either side of Alex's face, and he used his forefinger and thumb to pry open one of Alex's eyes. Above him, Alex could see Fox's blurry face, staring intently into his eyes.

"Still dilated."

"Check again in a minute."

Since he'd awoken, Alex had felt dazed, and he had been concentrating on what the others were doing. But Fox, Eagle, and Snake started only checking him over every so often, and he could really feel all the injuries he'd accumulated that night. The shot of adrenaline he'd felt upon waking was fading quickly. And he still hadn't slept very well that night. Despite Wolf's shouting in the background, he found himself wanting to drop off to sleep.

Fox noticed his exhaustion first. "Cub, talk to me. You need to stay awake."

Alex ignored him. He really didn't care right now. The shivering didn't feel as jarring anymore, even though it hadn't changed intensity at all. Plus, he was in a relatively comfortable position - reclined and surrounded by warmth, no matter how embarrassing.

However, Alex couldn't ignore the light tap on his cheek. The offending hand had stoked up a new fire there from the embers left by the interrogator's fists.

"Mngh!" He tried to move away, but he couldn't fight the much stronger men's grips. He fidgeted instead.

"Talk to me. What's your favorite exercise? What do you think of the sarge?"

Alex glared at Fox, not caring in the slightest what the older man thought. "Shut up. 'M tired."

"You know that sleeping is dangerous."

Alex opened his mouth to retort, but he had to concede the fact.

It was true. Alex had attended a winter survival lecture with the rest of K-Unit. Hypothermia had been one of the major topics - causes, symptoms, first aid, long term effects, and the rest of it. Of course, Ian had already taught him the basics, and all of the soldiers had experience with first aid. They'd dutifully stared down the lecturer with no questions, Alex included. Still, that didn't mean Alex wanted to stay awake now that he _was_ hypothermic.

"L-" Alex paused while Fox checked his pulse and breathing again. It was rather frustrating, but Alex was in no position to argue. "Lectures."

"Why?"

"Easiest."

Fox didn't respond for a moment, checking Alex's pupils for the millionth time. He reported that they were still dilated before asking, "You don't like training?"

"No. Don' wanna be here."

Fox glanced away from Alex towards Snake. Alex couldn't read his expression, but it looked uncertain with a mix of - of - _something_. Had Alex revealed too much? He wasn't really watching his tongue at the moment. A fog had made its way into the crevices of his mind, making thought difficult. Still, Alex could respond through the haze.

By the time Fox looked back at Alex, he'd schooled his features into an unreadable expression. "How do you feel?"

Alex sighed. "Cold. Tired," he answered honestly.

Snake, ever the medic, inquired, "Do you feel any pain?"

"Cheeks. Stomach. Wrists. Talking." His throat burned uncomfortably.

"Can you say a complete sentence?" Eagle murmured sarcastically into Alex's ear.

"I hate you."

Fox smirked as he leaned down to listen to Alex's breaths. "So..." he continued, pausing while he thought of a topic, "what do you think of the sergeant?"

"Arse. You?" Alex's tactics changed; if he made them talk, he didn't have to.

Fox smiled a bit. "He's like that sometimes, but he means well."

Snake chimed in on this topic. "Yeah, if by 'means well' you're saying he's good at being mean. Bastard," he muttered.

It was understandable that the three soldiers treating Alex were distracted, and that Alex was in no condition to be observant. Still, it was surprising that not one of them noticed that Wolf had stopped shouting or that a night breeze had swept into the room.

"And that 'well-meaning bastard' is now standing behind you." Predictably, Snake whipped around, stark white. Alex was quite happy that his hands left him, no matter how warm they were.

"S-sir! I didn't-"

"Shut up. What the hell is going on?"

Fox explained. "The Green Jackets thought it'd be more effective if they made us watch them torture a kid. They started by shocking him for at least thirty seconds behind the ear. His balance is probably shot right now. Then they..."

As he explained, Alex could feel himself drifting off, as if he were a grain of sand in a dark, soothing ocean. After a moment, above the surface of the syrupy water, he was vaguely aware of shouting, but a tsunami seemed to have submerged him completely. Even a sharp pain in his cheek was unable to pull him from the current.

Alex sank into the deep darkness.

* * *

><p>AN: That was Japanese, last time. It said, "There are hints." The hints were that Fox was one of the main characters, "Fox had curled up like Alex," and "His hands were cold." (Kudos to speechbubble, who nailed every single one!)<p>

Some reviewers asked where one could read the real _Resistance to Interrogation_. I found a link to it on another user's profile: Sarruby (FF .net/u/1918804/). She's got links to other short stories by Horowitz, too.

I hope you'll stick around for the rest. I'm happy to report that I've finished editing everything.

Drop your opinion off at the _Reviews_ bus stop, and it will reach the right destination.


	3. Chapter 3

It was very warm. A soft cloud was surrounding Alex, insulating him from the outside world. He must be at home, in Chelsea. He'd dreamt the whole occasion: Ian's death, the bank, SAS training, RTI ...

"Cub, can you hear me? Can you open your eyes?"

Or not.

Blearily, Alex peeled open his sticky eyelids. The room's lights were dimmed, probably to keep his eyes from hurting. Even so, he blinked a few times before focusing and analyzing the world around him.

A thick duvet was laying on top of him, covering him up to his neck. He was in a bed - a real one, not the slabs of concrete called 'bunks'. The dark blue curtains were parted, letting the starry night trickle its light in. The room had a faintly sterile scent; it wasn't unpleasant, but it told Alex where he was. Some kind of hospital.

Alex himself was wearing a mask. It was clear, and a tube was feeding to it from some kind of humming metal box. Thankfully, the air it provided was clear and unscented; Alex didn't want to imagine what it'd be like to inhale and exhale visible acrid smoke. Additionally, an IV line fed into the crook of his left elbow.

"Hey." Alex's eyes found the source of the noise. Wolf was sitting in a chair beside his bed, hands clasped in his lap and reclined as much as possible. He looked worn out but clean. "You've been out all day. It's 2056." Nearly nine o'clock PM, in other words.

"How long have I been asleep?" Alex tried to ask, but the words seemed to echo off the mask and around his head instead of being emitted into the surrounding atmosphere where Wolf could hear.

Somehow, Wolf got the gist of what Alex was trying to ask. "'Bout seventeen hours. A little less."

Alex nodded and was pleased to find he could tell which way was up again. It seemed the long rest had allowed his equilibrium to restore itself. Still, he didn't try to sit up or move otherwise. He felt groggy.

"Why are you here?" Alex tried.

"What?"

"Why - are - you - here?" Alex tried again, breaking up the sentence. It didn't help. Wolf shook his head.

Frustrated, Alex reached up with his right arm to remove the obstructing mask when a larger hand covered his, holding it on his face. "I already pressed the 'call' button. Just wait for the doctor."

As though he'd been waiting for his name to be called, the doctor walked in at that moment. The man's auburn hair was tousled, and he looked frazzled. "Damn RTI. Always testing the infirmary," he muttered before standing next to Wolf's chair, clipboard in hand. "Hey, kiddo, how're you doing?"

Alex answered, "Just peachy," but the doctor, like Wolf, couldn't understand.

"I'm going to take your mask off, all right? If you have any trouble breathing - any _at all_ - I'm going to get a pad of paper for you." Alex nodded, and the man put one hand on the mask and undid the back, lifting it off.

Alex didn't know what the machine had been giving him, but the air was suddenly drier and colder. A small cough escaped him, and the doctor paused with the mask half-off. When the small fit subsided, the doctor gave a pleased smile and turned the machine off.

"Can you sit up for me?" Alex nodded. With the air of a princess, he slowly and delicately sat up. A tremor ran through him as the warm duvet fell away. Alex slowly turned to face the two men in the room, mindful of his stomach injuries.

"Why's Wolf here?"

The doctor nodded approvingly, even though Alex's voice was raspy and weak without the special air. He seemed to like Alex - at least, his demeanor was friendly. "It's a good idea to have a familiar or friendly face to wake up to." As he spoke, a small beep emitted from from his waistband. The professional checked it and swore unprofessionally. "Room 27 needs me. Look, Wolf, we're short on nurses. Do me a favor and fill this out, would you? Thanks." He didn't give Wolf a chance to respond before thrusting his clipboard into the soldier's hands and darting out of the room.

Alex and Wolf shared a long silence as they watched the doorway where the doctor had left. As it grew longer and longer, Alex finally broke it. "What's it say?"

"Pupils, heart rate, blood pressure, temperature with a hell of a lot of options and blanks. A few questions for you, too." He lifted the page to peer at the one behind it. "The second one's for the doctor to fill out." He looked at Alex and bit his lip. Then he looked back down at the chart. "Looks like I'll need a penlight."

"Check that drawer over there," Alex suggested. "It's labeled 'nurses'."

Sure enough, Wolf found everything they needed: a penlight, a stopwatch, a blood pressure cuff, a stethoscope, and a thermometer.

"Best lie down, Double-O-Nothing." Alex didn't move, choosing to glare at Wolf instead. "I said-"

"I heard what you said."

Wolf glared. "Then lie down."

Alex was ticked off. "No. I've got a name."

"Kid..." Wolf trailed off threateningly. But Alex was fed up with Wolf's bullying. He shook his head. Wolf sighed. "Cub, would you _please_ lie down?"

Alex hesitated, then lowered himself carefully onto the fluffy pillow. He reached with both hands to pull the duvet back up, but Wolf grabbed his wrist.

"What-?"

"You've got an IV in your arm. If you bend it, you might shift the needle." With that, Wolf pulled the duvet up to Alex's neck, over his arms once more, and took a seat in the chair.

Alex flushed, but managed to express his gratitude quietly. "Thanks."

Wolf snorted derisively. "So, pupils." He fumbled for the penlight, then shone it into Alex's eyes. It was blinding, but Alex determinedly held his eyes open. He didn't like it when others held them open. "Normal." The pen on the clipboard scratched noisily on the paper.

Wolf paused, reading. Then he asked Alex to hold out his right arm. With a firm but surprisingly gentle grip, he measured Alex's heart rate. "Sixty-seven," he muttered. "Sixty-seven." The pen scritched and scratched, apparently circling a few other criteria.

"Is that normal?" Alex asked.

"How old are you?"

Alex stared at him. Wolf rolled his eyes. "Okay, you can't answer that. Are you under fifteen?"

Hesitantly, Alex answered, "Yes."

Wolf gave him a look Alex couldn't read. "Damn." Alex blinked slowly, waiting for an explanation. Wolf opened his mouth, closed it, and finally opened it to elaborate. "You're still under; you're shy three beats."

"Okay." Alex waited as Wolf scribbled out something and wrote something else. "What's next?"

Wolf glanced down at the chart. "Blood pressure." Wolf didn't look Alex in the eyes as he wrapped the cuff around his arm, pumped it up, pressed the stethoscope into his elbow, and watched the dial as the air escaped.

For his part, Alex fidgeted uncomfortably. Blood pressure cuffs were always uncomfortably tight. The pressure on his arm lessened slowly, and Alex eventually was released. He slid his arm back under the covers; the limb felt cold to him.

"One-hundred over sixty-two," Wolf repeated as he recorded the information in the blanks on the sheet. "Then," Wolf read, "I need to check your temperature."

Alex nodded. "Orally?"

"I think so." Wolf held up the metal probe and sheathed it with a plastic cover. Wordlessly, he held it out over Alex's mouth. However, the door opened faster than Alex's mouth, and Fox followed Snake inside.

"Wolf?" they asked in unison. Alex could read their confusion easily as if it had been stamped across their faces. Still, Wolf's actions should have made sense, with the clipboard, thermometer, and all.

"The infirmary's short on hands, so they asked me to check his vitals - like a nurse," Wolf instantly explained, as if he didn't want the others to think he cared about Alex.

Not that they would, considering how Wolf had been treating Alex.

"You're not putting that in his mouth, are you?" Snake asked. "That's an anal cover - it's got lubricant on it."

Alex couldn't help it. Blood rushed to his cheeks, and his eyes widened. The very thought of putting it in his mouth - the thought that he was going to - revolted and embarrassed him. Fox wheeled around to face Snake, and Snake, for his part, remained neutral. Wolf swallowed and pulled the probe away from Alex to check if Snake was right. Even Alex could see, once Wolf prodded it, how the gel moved a little bit.

As glad as he was to not have the foreign liquid in his mouth...

Snake cocked an eyebrow. "I'll do it, if you're not comfortable with it."

Alex didn't like the idea of _any_ of them 'doing it', but he was saved by Wolf. The stand-in nurse had started rummaging around the nursing drawer, and he located a second box of covers. They were plastic - meant for the mouth.

"While you do that," Snake said to Wolf, as the latter pressed the temperature probe into Alex's mouth, "I can ask some of these questions, so Cub can prepare his answers."

Wolf nodded his assent. Snake began to read. "'How do you feel?' Then, 'Are you in any pain?' The last one for the nurse to ask is, 'what's the last thing you remember?'"

Alex nodded minutely to show he understood. The questions were easy - far easier than some of the questions he'd faced on his most recent English test. "Name a piece by Shakespeare," for one.

The thermometer beeped, and Wolf withdrew the probe. "Thirty-five. He'll be fine."

Snake passed the clipboard to Fox, who diligently wrote down the information. Meanwhile, Snake repeated, "How do you feel?"

"Tired," Alex replied. "And a little hungry, too."

"You in pain?"

"None. I just feel achy all over."

"That's to be expected," Snake explained. "You've been motionless for quite some time. Once you start moving, you'll feel better." As Alex made to get out of bed, Snake quickly pushed him down. "But not until you've been seen to by the doctor, all right?"

Alex nodded and looked away. The attention bothered him.

"And lastly," Fox took over, "what's your last memory before you lost consciousness?"

"The short man had just shocked me with his stun gun, and I blacked out."

Fox wrote it down quickly, while Wolf and Snake exchanged glances. "Anything else?" Wolf asked uncertainly.

"No. Nothing."

Snake raised an eyebrow. "They did more than that. And you woke up while we were doing first aid. You don't remember any of that?"

"No."

Wolf looked like he wanted to say something - like words were crawling up his throat, clambering to escape - but the doctor walked in at that moment and stole the spotlight. "Hey there. Glad to see you two came, but now I'll ask you all to leave. I need to have a look at Cub in private."

Like the soldiers they were, the three filed out.

* * *

><p>Alex woke up much more willingly than before, feeling very much refreshed. The infirmary bed was infinitely more comfortable than his bunk in the hut he lived in with K-Unit. The doctor had ordered he stay overnight. Alex didn't mind at all.<p>

The sun was just peeking over the horizon, peeping into Alex's room. It was early in the morning. A few birds chirped outside, as if nothing had happened at all. Alex supposed nothing had, for them. Then a nurse - a real one - came in and looked him over, then left.

A half-hour later, a rap at the door caught his attention. Alex sat up. Someone had dressed him in too-large pajama-like hospital clothes when he first arrived. His hands were buried and the collar was too wide and off-centered. He adjusted one shoulder before saying, "Come in."

First, the very fit black sergeant walked it. Then K-Unit filed in behind them. Alex could tell by their faces they didn't know what was going on either.

"Attention!" the sergeant hollered. Alex flinched, then saluted like the rest of his unit. "At ease," the man followed up with. Alex watched the other men exchange nervous glances.

"Sir?" Wolf asked after a brief pause.

"I just wanted to let you all know that the Green Jackets who interrogated Cub may be removed from service. They are currently undergoing psyche evals."

"There's no need to-" Alex started without thinking. He was only temporary, after all, and he'd practically insulted the interrogators just by being his age.

"Cub," Wolf interrupted.

"No, Wolf. Let him finish." The sergeant turned to Alex. Alex noticed the man was smirking, strangely. "You were saying?"

Alex swallowed. His speech mimicked the motion of stop-and-go traffic. "I don't expect people to treat me more nicely here, just because I'm younger."

Wolf looked exasperated. "Yes, but the Green Jackets went over the top."

Alex didn't reply for a moment. He and Wolf's eyes were directed at each other, as if connected by a magnet. The others in the room vanished for a moment - Alex wondered if Wolf knew how hypocritical he was being at that very moment in time. He'd clearly had something against him. But _why_? Then it hit Alex and he looked down at his feet.

"They went over the top _because_ I'm younger. Because they wanted to be in my position - training with you lot - and yet here I was, doing it years before I should be able to. They were jealous, weren't they?" Alex glanced up at sergeant. For a brief second, Alex thought he saw _pride_ in the man's eyes. Pride for him?

"Yes, Cub, they were envious - and furious. They took your age as a personal insult." Alex furrowed his eyebrows. He was getting the distinct impression that he was being used and manipulated. "And why don't you tell us how that makes you feel?"

Alex flushed madly. The sergeant was trying to get him to tell K-Unit how he felt. He was trying to make their unit more connected. Suddenly, Alex felt extremely small. "I don't like it," Alex murmured quietly, "but I don't blame them."

"You don't blame them?" This time, the authority figure seemed merely curious.

_Ugh, I should've stopped while I was ahead,_ Alex thought. "I mean - they're - it makes sense." Alex mentally slapped himself. His words certainly did not make sense.

"What makes sense?"

Alex swallowed and thought. He was saying the truth - he harbored no hatred towards the four men in the room - only irritation at times -, and he didn't blame the Green Jackets for their actions. He was just ticked at the whole situation in general. It wasn't like they meant to hurt him. They'd just gotten carried away. Alex wasn't about to condemn them for an accident: at least, Alex thought it was an accident. His whole memory of the incident was rather shabby.

"I would've been just as angry, I think," Alex concluded. "I don't blame them for that."

The sergeant cocked an eyebrow. Snake was watching Alex with a new hawk-like interest, as was Eagle. Fox had his eyebrows raised. Wolf merely stared at the wall next to Alex's head, as if waiting for the whole conversation to be over. "Pray tell, Cub - what do you actually remember?"

"Shorty - er, the short guy," Alex corrected quickly, "wanted Wolf to kiss me. He was going to shock me. I threw him. He got mad and shocked me until I passed out."

"And how would you reflect on Cub's actions?"

Alex glanced up. The sergeant was glaring at K-Unit expectantly. Fox was looking at Wolf, as if having a silent conversation. When no one answered for a moment, Alex asked, "What happened after I passed out?"

Fox looked nervous, but he answered. "You're in the infirmary because they all but drowned you, Cub. Not because they shocked you."

Alex blinked. A vague memory was reminding him of ice water. "It was... cold..." he trailed off, confused.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" the sergeant asked coldly, oblivious to the irony in his statement. "This exercise was RTI - _resistance_ to interrogation." Alex swallowed, nerves fraying. The stress on that word implied things.

Wolf's eyes widened comically. "You mean we were supposed to _resist_ the _interrogation_?" Alex had to bite his lips to keep from smirking. It sounded comical, phrased like that.

"Exactly," the man hissed. "If the SAS camp were actually taken over, do you really think we have people on hand to save your sorry arses? That you should wait to be rescued, never-mind any injuries you might sustain while captured? I ordered you to _use your heads!_" the sergeant roared. Alex flinched, even though the fury wasn't directed at him. "I know what they taught you all in the regular army - go with the flow - but this is the _elite!_ What were you _thinking_? Cub seems to be the only one who even grasps the notion of _resistance_!"

Alex shifted uncomfortably. Singling him out here would only direct hatred to him. "Sir -"

"_Don't you dare interrupt me, Cub!_" he hollered in Alex's face. Alex flinched again and leaned back. "Your unit failed - failed! - to uphold the SAS standard. You even allowed one of your own to be put into the infirmary. For all intents and purposes, Cub would have _died_ if Fox hadn't given in! Wolf, you need to judge the situation better - you all do! There were multiple occasions where you lot _easily_ could have escaped. And you took advantage of none. None!"

Alex tuned the man out as he continued. He would have had to try very hard to understand the sergeant. He'd raised his voice so much that the individual words were nearly indistinguishable. Besides, the scolding wasn't directed at Alex. Alex even took some pleasure in seeing his bullies reprimanded so harshly.

At last, the speech stopped. K-Unit looked appropriately chagrined. The sergeant let the understandable parts of his spiel sink in. Then he added one more thing. "And Fox -" the poor man cowered "- I need to see you in my office after this."

"Yes, sir."

The sergeant glared at the rest of K-Unit. "And you lot can go back to your barracks. Cub will be along as soon as the doctor clears him." With that, the sergeant stormed out of the infirmary, Fox trailing dejectedly behind. The remaining three looked at one another for a moment. Then Wolf sighed and left. Eagle followed. But Snake paused for a moment.

"I -" he started, looking at Alex uncertainly, then glancing down the hallway to where the others had gone. Then he shook his head and muttered, "See you later."

With that, Alex was left alone.

* * *

><p>AN: Hey, y'all. That's your end. I dunno if people like reading about people taking care of Alex... but I do. And I felt like I gave K-Unit what they deserved! Totally!<p>

Like it?

(But I lied. There's a quick epilogue about some people. So it's three-plus-one chapters.)


	4. Epilogue & Bonus

"Sir?" Fox asked. "You wanted to see me here?"

The fit black sergeant turned to face him at the door. "Ah, yes. Well, no. It's that man who'd like to see you." The sergeant nodded, glancing nervously at his door as he made to leave. Fox hesitated before opening the door.

Fox's first impression was that the visitor was grey. Terribly grey. He had a boring face and was most definitely a suit. The man had not even a modicum of emotion.

Fox sincerely hoped that he wasn't a tax collector. If that roommate of his...

"Good evening," the man started once the sergeant had left. "It has come to our attention that you have good acting capabilities and a good common sense." Good, good, good. It seemed this man didn't know how to issue compliments as well as he did bills and other paperwork. "We have seen the recording of your RTI training, Mr. Benjamin Daniels , during which you saved a life. However, due to your compassion for others, we believe you would be more suited to our line of work, where agents tend to work alone or tend to back up others. In the case of back up, your compassion towards others would prove to be useful."

Fox frowned. Somehow this man knew his name, but he didn't even know who this man was or how he'd come by such information. "Erm, pardon my asking, but who are you?"

"My name is Mr. Crawley. How would you like to be Cub's back up?"

Fox blinked. "Wait, he's for real?"

"Unofficially, yes."

Fox frowned more deeply. "Who does he work for, exactly?"

"Will you do it?"

Fox realised he would have to agree before more information about the job would be given. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity - a level possibly beyond SAS! "I guess so." Fox hesitated as Mr. Crawley's eyes bored into his. "Yes, I'll do it."

Some hidden tension between them evaporated; Fox hadn't even registered how tense Crawley was, but now the man relaxed. "Very good. Welcome to MI6, Agent Daniels."

* * *

><p><em>A few days later...<em>

* * *

><p>The training had been particularly strenuous that day, with the parachute drop and all the rest of it. At last, K-Unit returned to their bunks. There should have been five. Now there were only four.<p>

"Where's Cub?" Snake asked Wolf.

Wolf shrugged. "Gone. Some woman took him away."

"Do you know who she was?" Fox asked.

"No." The others nodded their consent. They hurriedly readied themselves for the short, cold showers after a moment of silence.

Snake almost made it out, but Wolf stopped him with a flick of his head, indicating he wanted the soldier to stay. The gesture escaped Fox and Eagle's notice, however, and they both left.

"What do you want, Wolf?"

Wolf hesitated - something he _never_ did. But the question he was going to ask... well, it wasn't unheard of.

"Are you homosexual?"

Snake blinked. His expression was completely blank. "What?"

Wolf pinched the bridge of his nose. He couldn't believe Snake was making him repeat his question. "I said, are you gay?"

Snake furrowed his eyebrows. "No. Why the hell you you think that?" Wolf was grateful that his stare held no anger - just honest confusion.

"You fell asleep on Fox's shoulder, for one. Then you kissed Cub and basically felt him up. I daresay you were more than willing to take his temperature anally, too."

Snake relaxed. "Oh. The things with Cub were all medical, and I didn't realise I fell asleep on someone's shoulder until I woke up." Then - as if to infuriate Wolf by hinted accusation - Snake smirked. Later, Wolf might laugh at this extremely awkward situation he'd brought upon himself, but right now he just wanted it over.

Wolf nodded, pretending to contemplate the logical response while hoping the poor lighting hid his growing blush. After a short moment, he shrugged. "All right. I suppose I was being paranoid."

"Good to hear," Snake commented before collecting his things and heading off to the showers.

It was only after Wolf had been alone for a moment that he released a tense breath and gathered his things.

* * *

><p>AN: And that's how he got his job! Fox is awesome!<p>

* * *

><p>...<p>

...

...

* * *

><p><em>AN: That was the original epilogue above. <em>

_Below is a little extra that I decided to write because **KusajishiFuktaicho** wanted to know why I didn't write in the part about how K-Unit reacts to Alex's passing out. Thank you, **KusajishiFuktaicho**, for drawing my attention to the missing scene. _

_I didn't write it before because I didn't think of it (I dunno why - I thought I thought this story through!) . It's a good idea, so I delayed the epilogue until I added this extra tidbit. That's why it took me so long to give this end to y'all. Otherwise, it would only have been a few days. My 'rush' (I bet you think it was slow) to get this written is why I didn't proofread it as well, but hopefully you won't see any drastic mistakes.  
><em>

_This tidbit starts right after Ben confesses. Bon appetit!  
><em>

* * *

><p><em>Bastard<em>, Wolf thought. _Fucking bastard. _

Wolf glared at some patch of ground. It was moving away from him - rather, he was being dragged backward. RTI was a disaster, in Wolf's opinion. The damn Green Jackets had managed to get that _lousynogoodfuckingdamned_ Fox to blurt out his name. Or perhaps Wolf should think of him as Brendan.

His chair stopped moving, and the front two legs dropped to the ground. The interrogator who seemed to hold some kind of vengeance against him stepped around in front of him. He sneered at Wolf. Wolf knew his facial muscles were twitching, particularly his nose, in pure rage. An acquaintance of his had once told him it made him resemble a mouse. Wolf had promptly rearranged the commentator's nose with his fist.

Right now, Wolf really wished he could do that to Fox. Then the guy in front of him.

His interrogator snapped his attention to the present by raising a foot and placing it between Wolf's knees on the edge of his chair and roughly shoving him into the cell where Eagle and Snake were waiting. It skidded and turned partway so that he could see Fox and Cub. Cub was lying on the floor, motionless. But Wolf didn't really notice - he had a score to settle with Fox.

He'd worked so hard to get into the SAS - to pass selection, to impress his superiors. Wolf had done more boot-licking than he'd care to admit. He'd studied and learned and trained and exercised and _lost it all because of Fox_.

"Fox, you lousy fucking bast-"

"Snake," Fox interrupted crisply, "check on Cub."

"-ard, when they let me out of these damned bindings, I'm going to rip your throat out!" Wolf roared. He huffed, swallowing stiffly before continuing. "I can't believe you! You - you told me you worked your arse off to get here, and you fucked it up for _a fucking brat_!" Wolf noisily sucked in a breath through his nose. He opened his mouth to continue, then realised Snake was starting to listen to said brat's breath. Wolf barely registered Eagle moving to untie Fox.

But the kid was fine, surely. The Green Jackets couldn't actually endanger the kid's life.

Still, the kid wasn't moving. Wolf really took in Cub's appearance. He was pale - an icy blue, almost. He was as still as a statue forgotten in an abandoned city - not even reflecting life off polished marble.

Then Snake leaned down and gave a breath to Cub. The small chest rose up and fell down as Snake took a fresh breath. The medic leaned down again and gave another.

Wolf didn't want to admit it, but he was really nervous. Had he been wrong? Was Cub actually in danger, and Fox therefore righteous?

Would he have let Cub die accidentally?

"Snake?" Wolf asked, completely lost. He realised he was untied, but he wasn't in a state of mind to thank Eagle. He moved to crouch beside the prone boy. "He's not-"

The rest of his words were lost in a snappy sigh of relief. Cub started coughing and shivering all over. Snake jerked back, spitting water that Cub had apparently had in his lungs, and let Fox - who Eagle had untied before - tip the child onto his side. Eagle crouched down, holding Cub's hips and legs so that Fox could support the boy's head and neck securely. Cub coughed, seemingly endlessly.

Wolf knew his eyes must resemble dinner plates; he was shocked. The kid would have died if not for Fox.

Cub's life was at stake.

And it made sense too, he realised. Cub was smaller - he couldn't remain conscious as long as adults without oxygen and he would cool down faster in the water. In fact, he was probably hypothermic.

"Good god," he muttered under his breath. "God..."

"Wolf, call for help," Snake hissed at him. "He needs medical attention."

Stunned from his revelation, Wolf stood obediently and stumbled to the door like a drunk man. Then his resolve returned. He couldn't save Cub - he'd leave that to the others - but he could do something.

"Help!" he cried frantically, pounding as loudly as possible on the door. Vaguely, he wondered if it would break. It didn't.

"Get help!"

Behind him, he could vaguely hear the coughing. Wolf had never come close to drowning before - he certainly didn't want to find out.

Cub had. And he'd helped the Green Jackets do it.

"Help! Someone! We have a situation!"

Snake's voice started asking after Cub. Wolf glanced at them, and Snake quickly informed Wolf of the situation. "His pupils are dilated," he started gravely, voice serious and concerned. "He's hypothermic, probably entering shock." Snake raised his chin sharply, indicating Wolf should continue calling for help.

Wolf did. He shouted for a long, long time.

He could hear Cub waking up. He heard them talking, but he was too focused on the task at hand to really decipher what they were saying. They were keeping Cub out of shock, he hoped sincerely.

At last, someone came.

The door's lock jingled and shuddered, and the handle turned. Wolf stepped back expectantly.

"Wolf," the sergeant immediately said, ignoring the man's previous shouting. "Where's Fox?"

Wolf glanced behind the fit black man. The Green Jackets and another man Wolf didn't recognise were standing at ease, not worried. They were grinning like maniacs - after all, they'd successfully squeezed Fox's name out of him. The gloating mystery man must be their sergeant; Wolf's sergeant would be more furious and dangerous than a bull in a china shop on a spike-covered floor. Wolf's stomach clenched at the thought. He could see the short man who had gleefully drowned the kid. The man smirked, apparently unaware of the effect it had on Wolf.

His blood was boiling - no, it wasn't evaporating but thickening, until Wolf had turned red in the face. His heartbeat actually sounded in his ears, speeding as fury coursed through him. The short man would pay. Wolf would _kill_ -

"Wolf!" the sergeant snapped, irritated by Wolf's short attention span. "The hell?"

Immediately, Wolf gave his superior his full attention. Now was not the time for revenge. Cub needed medical attention.

"It's Cub, sir. The short Green Jacket nearly drowned him."

The sergeant scowled. "I don't care. Where _the fuck_ is Fox?"

Wolf stepped aside and let the sergeant enter the room.

Snake was talking to Cub, who was lying on top of Eagle. Fox was by the kid's head, holding Snake's shirt around it like a cross between a turban and a scarf. Wolf couldn't help but raise his eyebrows at the position of Snake's hands before he remembered that they'd learned in a lecture to warm the groin. Still worse was Snake's words. "Yeah, if by 'means well' you're saying he's good at being mean. Bastard."

Somehow, the sergeant just _knew_ - that's the only way Wolf could figure it. Or maybe the man was just covering his bases. But nevertheless, he walked up behind Snake and quite calmly replied, "And that 'well-meaning bastard' is now standing behind you." Wolf shifted so he could see his superior's face. The man seemed to be taking in Cub's appearance for the first time.

"S-sir! I didn't-" Snake stuttered.

"Shut up. What the hell is going on?"

Wolf was strangely grateful that Fox explained. "The Green Jackets thought it'd be more effective if they made us watch them torture a kid. They started by shocking him for at least thirty seconds behind the ear. His balance is probably shot right now. Then they threw him into a tub of ice."

Wolf closed his eyes, remembering how the child flailed his limbs in the water while simultaneously shutting the pale, barely conscious child from his guilty vision. _How could I have missed the danger_? Wolf wondered in retrospect. He shook his thoughts away, homing in on Fox's explanatory tone.

"The shortest of them pushed his head under the water for at least a minute," Fox stated calmly. He seemed to be handling the situation far better than Wolf. "Cub had fallen unconscious underwater, I think, so I gave a name to make the short guy stop. Cub woke up after Snake gave him breaths. And then-"

"_Cub_!" the sergeant shouted unexpectedly. Wolf jumped, startled, eyes snapping open to see that Cub's eyes were closed like his had been moments before. "Shit, Cub!"

Fox looked down sharply and noticed the kid's state. "_Cubwakeup!_" he hollered as one word, right next to Cub's ear. Below Cub, Eagle shifted away from Fox - his ear was next to Cub's, after all.

After a moment of no response, Fox slapped the kid on the cheek. Wolf found it difficult to swallow as Cub's head lolled off to the side, neck completely slack. The sergeant swore under his breath and dropped down to Cub's side. Fox wisely let the man get close.

The stranger stepped into the room, grinning, but it lost its sincerity the moment he saw what was going on. It melted slowly into a confused frown as K-Unit's sergeant began performing more advanced checks on a small figure.

"The hell?..." he managed. He wheeled and glared fully at Wolf.

Immediately, Wolf knew: this man was the Green Jacket's sergeant. His eyes and posture radiated authority. He was a tall, bulky Caucasian with blond hair and a scarred, serious face. Vaguely, and, with some sense of pride, Wolf noted that his own sergeant was more intimidating. "What the hell?" the man asked Wolf.

Wolf answered quietly so as not to disturb his own sergeant's ministrations. "We don't know why he's here. His codename is Cub. Your soldier -" Wolf gestured at the shortest man "- tased and drowned him to his current state. Sir." Internally, Wolf smiled gleefully. He was certain the other sergeant would give his own men hell for sure.

The blond authority figure's right eye twitched. After a pause, he said quietly, "My men and I will be waiting to watch the replay in the third conference room. At your sergeant's leisure, after this. He already knows that, so... never mind."

With that, the man left Wolf, his sergeant, and the rest of K-Unit with Cub.

"Wolf," the sergeant called. Wolf wheeled around and stood to attention. He literally bit his tongue to keep his surprise from showing.

The sergeant - _the sergeant_ - was holding Cub like a bride. It painted a funny picture, to say the least, except for the dire reasons behind the odd standing. Wolf noted that Eagle was dusting himself off and that Snake was putting his shirt again.

"Move." Wolf blinked, realising that he was blocking the sergeant's way. He ducked quickly to one side. The man walked past. Wolf's forehead creased as Cub's head passed within reach, bobbing slightly with the sergeant's gait. He didn't like Double 'O' Nothing, but Double 'O' Seven never went through this at Cub's age.

The sergeant and the limp figure in his arms vanished in the general direction of the infirmary.

Wolf watched the silhouette fade into the night - rather, the early morning. RTI would be over soon, judging by the faint sunlight over the horizon.

So until then...

"What now?" Eagle asked quietly.

Snake answered, also quiet. He seemed uncertain, which was unusual for the normally strong, bold yet withdrawn personality Wolf had become accustomed to. "I don't think the sergeants told us to do anything. At least, I don't think so."

Wolf nodded. "I agree. We have no orders." He paused, looking at his unit-mates. They were all slightly injured in one way or another (with the exception of Cub more seriously injured at the infirmary), and they showed it. Fox was shivering slightly, and Eagle's posture was slumped. Snake's cut had dried up, but it looked nasty - like something unidentifiable found on the ground in a public park.

Fox's hand carded through his own hair. He seemed apprehensive.

Wolf caught the nervous tick. Fox was anxious for good reason - Wolf should be furious that Fox may have just ruined his career. But somehow, Wolf couldn't find the anger in him, not after seeing Cub so lifeless.

"Fox?" he asked gently. "What do you want to do?"

The other soldier's eyebrows shot up, genuinely surprised. He stumbled over his tongue for a moment before answering. "Eh- um- well, since we have no orders, we might as well go to our bunks for some rest."

Wolf had been thinking the exact same thing. He nodded, and wordlessly led his unit into the dim yet brightening morning.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Who wants to see the video-replay from Snake or Eagle's 3rd PPOV? (*signals snipers to shoot rising hands*) <em>

_No one? That's fine with me!  
><em>

_(If your bloody hand is going up...)  
><em>


End file.
